


Raindrop of Serenity

by ZimZalaSheik



Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Coming of Age, Escape, Escapism, Exploring, Freedom, Gen, Peaceful, Rain, horse ride, venting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28046613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZimZalaSheik/pseuds/ZimZalaSheik
Summary: On a rainy day, Princess Zelda decides to escape Hyrule castle on horseback and take a break from her exhausting life.
Kudos: 7





	Raindrop of Serenity

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is set before the events of both Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity.

To the Princess of Hyrule, the rain was like a breath of fresh air in the chaos that choked her. Those days, the ones where a soft patter on the window pane would ease her out of bed, where the soldiers who always trained in the courtyard hid themselves away in the dry, where the thick grey clouds would burrow her from the blinding sun, those were the days where Zelda could take a break from who she was.

It was one of those days, much to Zelda's relief. After so many days of endless prayer she could barely think straight, and what's more her body probably couldn't handle another excruciating rehearsal. It came as great luck, then, that her father let her have rainy days off. After all, allowing her to catch a cold would hardly prove efficient in the long run. The only condition was that she'd spend her time wisely, working to fulfil her "duty" in any way she could within the castle. Being a 16-year-old girl, she naturally did not oblige.  


Dressing herself in a thick beige coat, her staple brown boots, and a small blanket which she had learned to wrap as a hood, Zelda's mind raced with ideas of how to spend her day. In her bag she packed some rice balls, two bananas and a flask of water before finally heading out of her room. It took every grain of self control to stop herself from breaking into a light run. She still had to take care: there were hundreds of people in the castle, all of whom knowing who she was and where she should be.  


Upon arriving in the stables just outside the castle's east wing, she met her first obstacle: her horse. That creature and she did not see eye to eye. She tried relentlessly to bond with him but deep down she saw befriending an animal as entirely pointless. Even laughable, perhaps. He was there for a reason, to get her from A to B. In exchange she'd keep his white coat clean and soft, and his belly full. Why was that not enough for him? All the same, it was moments like this when she needed him most. She probably wouldn't even reach the Castle Town gates by foot; she needed him in order to blend with the travelling merchants who were always lulling around. On a typical day, the horse would be troublesome at worst, but he hated getting his hooves wet so on that day Zelda knew he would be downright stubborn at best. 

Surprisingly, he took no issue to her gearing him up in his black leather bridle. It suddenly dawned on Zelda that he likely was exhausted from marching her too and from the Spring of Power to fight back. A twang of guilt launched from her stomach to her throat, but there was no alternative for her (save giving up and spending the day miserable in her room). The steed would simply have to stay strong for another ride. 

The rain started to pick up as the girl and her horse set out. They trotted through the castle gate and kept the same momentum through the grizzly, hallow town which was found just at the foot of the castle. Zelda thought to herself that the streets were actually quite beautiful: the stone pavements glimmered in the drizzle; the wooden houses glowed with the candlelight emitting from inside; and the pots, carts and plants which people had left out certainly added a pleasing charm. It was such a shame that she could never walk these streets any normal day without being gawked at, heckled, or having unnecessary gifts shoved in her face. It was at that moment that the emptiness of the streets struck a shiver up her spine, causing her to look forward with a stern expression in her pained eyes. 

Finally she reached the gates that opened the town. She avoided suspicion from the posted guards by giving a succinct nod in their direction, being careful that her face wasn't too on show. At last she had reached Hyrule field, by which point the rain had started beating down. Snapping the reins, Zelda encouraged the horse to start into a sprint, to get far away as quickly as they could. As the heavy raindrops splashed in her face, the Princess finally felt the freedom for which she'd been yearning for weeks.

At first the girl and her horse cut through central Hyrule Field, ignoring the beaten track. The green was so wide and empty, acres of nothing in such a way that no matter how far they went they'd still have miles left until they saw an ending. This was emphasised by the thick sheet of water falling from the sky, forcing her to only see what was right in front of her, something her destiny would never allow her to do. About 20 minutes later, with a jolting shot of adrenaline and a pounding heart, Zelda snatched the reins and took a sharp turn East. She shortly heard the hard knocking of the horse's hooves on Proxim Bridge and after reaching the other side she gently curved the route alongside Deys Lake and finally stopped at her quiet spot.

As she dismounted the horse, she giggled to herself. Every time she "ran away" she would swear to go somewhere new, maybe even adventurous. But each time without fault she'd come back here. It was on a high, grassy hill. There was a grand, wide-stretched tree and beneath it a small manmade rock structure which almost resembled a cave. In the "cave" lay three statue figurines with a dish at their feet. Zelda knew from her religious upbringing that these were placed by the Sheikah tribe centuries ago; she was supposed to place offerings in the dishes but she never did. Despite knowing she was real, Zelda never felt a strong connection with the Goddess Hylia. This pained her greatly as it was to Hylia that she always prayed to awaken her Sacred Power. Like the horse, the Deity existed to get her from one place in her life to the next.

She and the horse just about fit under the stone, shielded from the elements. By this point the rain was much lighter, but the clouds were still dark and threatened to reopen imminently. Zelda loved the trickling sound of the raindrops, as she loved watching it bounce on the puddles. Gently, she took the blanket off her head and let her blond, now quite messy, hair fall past her shoulders. A bitter, pungent aroma filled the air around her and she recognised it as some kind of flower. She looked around and finally stopped at an electric blue not far from where she sat. The Silent Princess. Its bold, pointed petals held strong under the rainfall, almost as if it was enjoying it.

"I envy the Silent Princess, you know?" muttered the Princess. She was talking to the horse, but her eyes shot down past her legs. "When these flowers proved to be unsuitable for the environment the castle gave them, the labs just left them to the wild. I suppose when you are not cursed by any destiny, when you are your own being rather than the host of a practical use, only then can you demand the right to your true nature." Her voice was a tragic mix of sadness, anger and despair. She took a deep breath, then a sigh.

Two hours dripped away, by which time Zelda had finished her food. The horse scoffed and suddenly Zelda went terribly pink. "My dear Horse, I brought you nothing to eat, how awful of me!" She got up and stroked his mane. He spared her a glance of contempt. She hadn't even realised all he's had was the murky water out of the offering bowl. Truly embarrassed she said, "I'm sorry. You know, it is always with you that I escape the prison that is my fate, but I hardly treat you like a valued partner in crime." She stopped and thought for a second. "I do not know what the stable workers call you, but I feel that as your owner I should give you a name. How is Reagent?" He scoffed and stepped back, causing Zelda to giggle, then he slipped on the mud a bit, making Zelda roar with laughter. "Okay, okay! I'll think of a better one! Come on, let's go home. I bet you're starving."

As always, the Princess slipped right back into royal life upon coming home. Hylia forbid anyone ever finds out she lives for anything other than her training. But that night, when the Moon was high, she opened her window to reach out her hand, and felt the rain tickle her skin. One day she would no loner be confined. Until then she had the Horse, who she had named Saviour.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a bit rushed but I really wanted to write today. Any comments and criticisms are welcome!


End file.
